A cluster of UK-based streamers are raising money for Cats Protection, the UK’s biggest cat welfare charity, in a series of livestreams.
The charity’s Pawsome Players community is this month raising awareness and funds for its Lifeline service (previously known as Paws Protect).
The scheme is free and provides temporary care with volunteer home fosterers, to allow owners the space to flee domestic abuse and settle into new housing, where they can be reunited with their beloved cat.
Content creators supporting the emergency cat foster service for its winter campaign this month include the following:
- Gab Smolders
- Anna Demetriou and Kastaclysm
- Get Miked
- Emmalition, WhitneysVision and Jonesyspacecat
- Flynn1597
- James Michael Parry
- Cherebi
- SailorPeach
- Lola Sunnybutter and Aellabrenna
- EdgyWizard
- AvatarObi, lunarharpy and MaymoUwU
- Joito and reelFEESH
- cozygamerkat
- TheZoeNova
We made this list from Cats Protection andTwitter. Please let us know if you’re involved and not listed, so we can add you.
Anna Demetriou is also an actress who voices Dorys in Final Fantasy 16.
And Emmalition has also streamed for Cats Protection before – and adopted cat called Cola.
There’s more info below from two of Cats Protection’s press releases – one on Gab’s stream announcement and the other on the charity’s call for more gamers to get involved.
The news also comes a few months after the Valorant Cat Cup raised over £1,000 for the charity.
YouTuber Gab Smolders plans live stream to help emergency cat foster service
Cat-loving YouTuber Gab Smolders (pictured, top) will be hosting a livestream to raise money for a vital service which helps cats and their owners escape domestic abuse.
The Dutch content creator will be live over the weekend of November 24th and 25th 2023, when she’ll be playing a variety of cat-related games and raising funds for the UK’s biggest cat charity.
With an online community of over 1m, Gab is a big cat fan, with her own moggy BB often taking centre stage. Now in her fourth year of supporting the charity, Gab and her community have raised more than £40,000 for Cats Protection.
Gab Smolders said:
“BB is the first cat I’ve ever owned, and he has been my companion for the last eight years. Over the years he’s turned me into a huge cat lover, and BB being a stray himself made me think of all the other cats out there needing a home.”
Gab Smolders
“I had been wanting to dip my toes into charity work, so when I found out about Cats Protection it seemed like the perfect match. BB is a regular visitor in my YouTube videos and livestreams as well, so over the years I think I’ve garnered a whole community of fellow cat lovers.
“This year’s charity stream will help the magnificent Lifeline service that Cats Protection provides. I think it’s amazing that the charity is able to offer this service for free, so I want to help out in any way I can to make sure it stays that way. My heart goes out to anyone who is in the difficult situation of experiencing domestic abuse.”
Hannah Ashwell, who supports gaming and streaming with Cats Protection’s Pawsome Players, said: “We’re so grateful to Gab for all her support over the past few years. She’s helped spread the love for cats with her YouTube channel, and enabled us to help even more cats with her fundraising efforts. If you love gaming and you love cats, be sure to check out her YouTube channel for plenty of moggy-related fun.”
To support Gab Smoulders, please visit her Tiltify fundraising page at https://tiltify.com/@gabsmolders/catslifeline
Cats Protection calls on other gamers to help
Gamers, streamers and influencers can support the service, which helps cats and their owners escape domestic abuse this November, by becoming one of Cats Protection’s Pawsome Players.
Creators can set up their own fundraising stream though platforms like Twitch or YouTube and encourage their followers and viewers to donate by offering shoutouts, giveaways and in-game incentives.
Alex Holden-Smith, who helps run Cats Protection’s Pawsome Players, said: “If you love cats and you love gaming, then we’d love you to join our community. We’ve built a really welcoming space for gamers, content creators and influencers and we’re on the lookout for other like-minded players to join us.
“This November we’re raising awareness of a particularly important issue – that of the link between cat ownership and domestic abuse. We know that owning a pet can be a barrier to people escaping domestic abuse. Many emergency refuges are unable to accept pets, and it’s common for perpetrators to target cats as a way to coerce and control their loving owners. Our free and confidential Lifeline service provides temporary loving foster homes for cats whilst their owner seeks safety, and eventually reunites them when it’s safe.
“It’s a serious and difficult subject, but we know the gaming community is incredible when it comes to tackling important issues. We’re looking for gamers who will be proud to stand alongside us and help raise awareness and funds so that we can help more cats and their owners escape domestic abuse.”
Resources, support and advice will be provided, including a campaign page on Tiltify at https://tiltify.com/cats-protection. For more info, email [email protected]
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
